Shoe-sewing machine.



A. EFPLtH'.

SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F|LED MAY 21. 1913.

Zz/awww??? To all whom it may concern:

rr sans ATENT lllllE,

ANDREW EPPLER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, A-SSIGNOR T0 UNTED SHOE MACHIN- ,VERY COMPANY, OF PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

suon-SEWING MACHINE.

Lgli. Original application tiledv July 27, 191.1, Serial No.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1913. Serial No. 768,909.

Be it known that I, ANDREW EPPLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county 4oii Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Shoe-Sewing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings', is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several iigures.

rl`he invention relates to shoe sewing maohines and moreparticularlyto devices for severing the thread at the completion of the sewing operation 'and for holding it at the beginning of thesucceeding sewing operation.

' i n u I .L This application is a division of `application No. 640,836, led July 27, 1 911. y

The object of the invention 1s to provide novel and improved devices for severing and4 holding the t read by which the thread may be severed at the completion of thesewing and its free end held under proper tension during the formation of the irsthstitch lat the beginnin of the succeedingoperation.

To this en the invention contemplates the revision, in a sewing machinev having a hooked needle and alooper, of la thread severin device and faf-thrend,' r holding device whic holds the 'severed/end of the thread under" tension during -the'fformation p of the :rst stitch while givingl up thread to the thread handling device's .A With lthis construction of thread holding devices the severed yor free endl of the thread is properly held to insure vthe v formation of a tight stitch at the. beginningof the seam, without danger of breakage due to sudden strains or pulls put upon` .thethread by the rapidly inovino` thread handling devices, since the threadcholder will give up thread to cushion orrelieve any strain in excess of the tension requisite for the formation of a tight stitch. The thread holding'devices may be of any 'suitable construction; which will-secure the results referredto, but, owing tothesimplicity of the construction, it is preferred to' employ a holder. whichfrietionally: holds the thread sothatfit may slip and. to so arrange the cutter that iree. length of thread is lei't beyond the holder equal to or greater than that which will be drawn through the The invention also contemplates the provision of a novel and improved thread finger which insures its proper operation on the thread at the beginning of thefsewing. The features of the invention will be readlly understood from an inspection of the acoo mpanying drawings and the followin detailed description of the apparatus 1llustrated therein.

In the drawings Figure l isa side elevation of so much of lawelt and turn sewing machine as is necessary-to illustrate the aplication. of the present invention thereto; 1g. 2 is a detailed front elevation showing the looper thread finger and thread cutting f l'and holding devices; .and Fig.v 3 is a detailed sectional View on line E3* 3 Fig. 2.

In the drawings the invention is shown as embodied in the. welt and turn' sewing machinesh'ownand described inmy prior ap.- plicationJ Serial NOI 447,542, filed August 8, 1908. This machine is provided with a curved hook needle 1,- a lo0per, a thread finger 3, a -feed point 4, 'a channel guide 5,

a welt guide 6 and a back gage 7 which are operated in a well known manner to unite the insole and upper or the insole, upper and welt by achain-stitch seam. The machine is also provided withdevices indicated at 8 for severing and holding the welt at the completion of the sewing in case the machine is being used upon welt shoes. The devices for severing'and holding the thread at the-completion of the sewing, in the construction shown, consist of a spring clamping plate 9 and a thread severing knife l() which projects from the plate. The

clamping plate is adjustably secured to the Y looper 2 by a screw 1l and cooperatesv with the surface of the 'looper in clamping the thread as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. The rclamping plate is so adjusted that the-thread isheld frictionally between it and the looper with suiiicient force to insure the proper tension upon the thread and at the same time to allow the thread to slip forward toward.

the thread handling devices during the ac- 7,tion of these devices in forming the first stitch. The knife 10 is soarranged with relation to the gripping surfaces of the plate 9 and looper that a considerable length of free thread is provided beyond the thread holder.

After the machine has been stopped at the completion of the sewing and after the Welt has been severed, in case the machine is operating upon welt shoes, the shoe is manipulated by the operator to carry the thread between the clamping plate 9 and the surface of the looper and then by a downward movement of the shoethe thread is carried across the edge of the knife 10 and severed.

When the machine is started at the beginning of the next sewing operation, the severed end of the thread is held beyond the thread handling devices by the thread holder and resists any forward pull on the thread With sufficient force? to insure the formation of a tight initial stitch. During the formation' of the stitch, however, the thread may slip forward through the thread holder and is still held under tension owing to the length of free thread beyond the holder, this length of thread being such that the thread will not be pulled out of the thread holder by the stitch-forming devices. As thed sewing progresses, the feed of the shoe will draw the thread out of the thread holder.

When the machine is in proper position for the removal of the shoe the thread finger 3 is in substantially the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and the .thread is liable to pass up the shank of the thread finger when it is carried up into the thread holder devices by the operator. f this should occur the thread finger would not operate prop-4 erly upon the thread in forming the first stitch. In order to insurethe proper enfagement'of the thread finger with the thread, the linger is provided with the spur or proJection v1 2 under which the thread passes and which operates to retain the thread in proper position with relation to the thread nger and insures the proper action of the thread handling devices when the machine is started.

While it is preferred to employ the spe ciic construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it should be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of the invention and may be varied or modiend of the thread land a spur on the thread finger under which the thread leads to the holding device.

2. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a hooked needle and a looper, a clamping plate secured to the looper and coperating with the surface of the looper to frictionally hold the thread passed between it and the looper by the operator, and a knife blade projecting from the front of the plate.

3. A shoe sewing machine, having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a hooked needle and a looper, a clamping plate 9 extending along the surface of the looper, and a blade 10 projecting from the front of the plate.

' In testimony Whereof,'I have signed my nalneto this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW EPPLER.

Witnesses:

RUTH` E. -WRD, CHESTER E. ROGERS. 

